Using Common Sense at Halloween
My kids are so excited about Halloween. Fall is gorgeous up here in New England, the leaves are changing, the temperatures are falling, and we are really enjoying it. Because we are in a new area, and only know a few of our neighbors, Trick or Treating will be a great time for us to meet and introduce ourselves to our other neighbors. However, it’s also a good time to remind kids of safety rules that they should always follow. The one exception is Never Take Candy from a Stranger. We let them know that the ONLY time that is acceptable is when your parents are with you AND we thoroughly inspect it BEFORE they open it to eat it.
Here are some other ways that using common sense at Halloween can help protect the safety of your children and teach them valuable lessons.
- In our family, the kids ONLY trick or treat with parents present. If your kids are allowed to go alone, be sure they know they should never enter a strangers home.
- Be aware of food allergies that others may have.
- Make sure costumes are fitted properly so they don’t trip and fall. Make sure they are bundled if it’s cold, or in layers if it’s hot. PLEASE be sure any masks fit properly so they can see around them, and that they are flame retardant. You don’t want them to get too close to a pumpkin with a candle and catch on fire!
- Carry a flashlight or lightstick, wear reflective clothing, be aware of traffic around you, and stay out of harms way.
- Reinforce looking both ways before crossing the street AND what to do if you see a car coming (Logan has a hard time with that one!)
- It’s not nice to play tricks on people. Yes, when you are teenagers, it can be fun to prank (when done safely and responsibly) but throwing eggs at people, buildings, cars is not safe, and shaving cream can damage paint on cars, etc. They need to know their actions may have consequences.
- NEVER hurt animals.
- NEVER eat candy your parents haven’t checked for safety.
- Don’t eat too much candy – parents should impose limits and put the rest of the stash out of reach until the next snack time.
- Eat a healthy, filling dinner BEFORE you go out, so they kids aren’t starving and wanting to fill up on candy.
- BRUSH TEETH BEFORE BED – should be a given anyway, but especially after eating candy.
PARENTS:
- Check the internet for Sex Offenders in your neighborhood, or the neighborhood where you may be trick or treating. I use Family Watchdog (not a sponsored link, just for your information). You don’t know what the crime was, but it’s always better to be vigilant and safe where your kids are concerned. This doesn’t mean you can’t show kindness to your neighbors – but you should be cautious.
- KNOW WHERE YOUR KIDS ARE AND ARE GOING. Keep tabs on them. If they are young – go with them. If they are teens and are going to parties – set boundaries and give them instructions on what to do if they feel uncomfortable, etc. Have a way to keep in contact with them, and make sure they know they can call you at any time to be picked up.
60 years ago it used to be so safe for us kids to go trick or treating.
slehan at juno dot com
Brushing their teeth before bed is a great tip. With all the excitement make sure the nightly routine items are followed to get them to bed.
Pet parents/owners should keep their pets inside on Halloween so they’ll stay safe!
We always traded most of our candy for a healthy fruit basket my parents had. Then the candy went to needy children in the hospital that couldn’t go trick or ttreating! Of course we had to give the candy to the kids.
I’d suggest bringing the kids to a safe party, and let them trick or treat at only one street where you really know everyone, so the kids don’t feel they missed out on trick or treating
I think it’s good to make sure that everyone stays together and is being supervised!
A reminder about not talking to or going with strangers is always good to give. It never hurts to reiterate the importance of that.
Stay with your kids at all times get someone to go with you and help you
Children should always be accompanied by an adult while traveling the neighborhood.
Have your child carry a glow stick to be seen.
Watch out for potholes and cars!! Our trick or treat is on Halloween this year and I get so nervous with kiddos crossing/walking in the streets and staying on the crowded sidewalks and potential drunken/distracted drivers out!! So scary!
I suggest taking these cute kittens with you in a pumpkin basket, everyone will fall in love and maybe give you more candy! LOL
Have a game plan beforehand. Know where you are going.
We give my son those hand warmers!! He loves them and they keep his toasty warm the whole time!
Only go to well lit neighborhoods where there are a lot of children and their parents trick or treating.
Get a costume that is big enough to put a really warm sweater or down vest or something like that under their costume, kids don’t always seem to be aware of how cold they are, err on the safe side that it will be really cold out!
If your children are wearing a mask, make sure it fits right and they can see and breathe easily.
The sex offender idea is great!! It is pretty much unavoidable these days! In theory no offender should be participating in handing out candy anyways!! But its never a perfect world right 😛
I don’t know how many ppl check the sex offender registry, but they should already be doing this, and know where kids might go at any time.
Be aware of where you are and the houses you are going to. It’s good to know whose house it is you are taking candy from.
Be sure to wear something reflective on clothing.
Make sure you know the kiddos your kid is trick or treating with!! Better chance of staying out of trouble 😉
Each child should have a flashlight
Cute picture! You can’t be vigilant enough – the hard part is sometimes the bad ppl are people you are a little familiar with, and your guard is down
Make sure to prepare for the weather. Rain in forecast, make sure to have an umbrella. If cooler, wear layers and long sleeves under the costume.
Say thank you for candy! I love when a child says thank you, it’s so sweet! If they forget, I like the parents to remind them.
Face painting is better than masks for safety.
slehan at juno dot com
If I sent kids alone I would make sure one of them had a cell phone with a tracker app!! Keep tabs all night 🙂
Stay together. Don’t wonder off. It letting older children go, make sure they know to stay as a group.
It is good to help get your kids away from the idea of quantity, and just visit a few people you really know, and better yet, get away from trick or treating and just go to, or have, a party.
Remember the flashlights. It gets dark early and you want to be able to see everything. Don’t think you can just rely on street lamps.
Im such a stickler about only trick or treating in areas we know and always checking their candy before eating!! You can never trust anyone anymore which is sad!! We use glow bracelets so we can always find eachother!!
Keeping a flashlight is a good one!
Decide before if you are going to let them eat some that night and how much.
My tip is to just be safe and be aware of your surroundings.
These are wonderful, common sense tips. It is always good to remind your kids & yourself every year, as things change. I would of never thought to check a watch dog site for preditors where the kids will be going. Faythe M.A@GMT (gramousetailsATgmaildotcom)
These are all some great tips to share with the kids, my grandson always has a glow stick with him when he goes trick-or-treating.
Thanks for the great tips!
Great tips for Halloween to keep kids safe!
Got to keep those kiddos safe!
We always do this.
We love these tips, so important to keep kids safe.
This was a great read with many great tips! Thank you for sharing!
Great tips for keeping kids safe while they are trick or treating!
Great tips. We always checked their candy before they could eat any. So sad that it has come to this!
Thank you for this post, it’s really needed
These are all great tips!! I always try to make a special dinner that the kids love, so they fill up on that first!
This is SO IMPORTANT. I remember trick or treating in the cold in Denver and putting my winter coat OVER my costume. And my parents would drive to the end of the block and wait for us under the street light. We always had flashlights and never went to a house where there was no porch light. Safety first!
Thanks for the reminders. Halloween will be fun, if you take some precautions to stay safe.
Lots of good tips for a safe Halloween . thanks so much
Good reminders! I always try to steer my kids’ costume choice to be safe and warm (it’s usually very cold by the end of October here.)
Great tips to keep in mind!
These are great tips, as parents, we always need to keep up for safety 🙂
these are great tips. hopefully all parents know andfollow them
I’m fortunate that I live in a small, friendly neighborhood (there is a family down the street that grills hot dogs for everyone trick or treating). But no matter where you are, safety rules have to be followed. Even in a “safe” community, there are dangers lurking.
Great tips!
Carry a flashlight or lightstick, wear reflective clothing- i like this too many people wear dark clothing at night
never hurt animals is good. gotta protect the black cats!
common sense seems to be such a rare commodity these days
These are great tips and so simple if you think about it! I want those kitties in the picture! omg.
Great tips. We need to remember all of them . Mostly I do not let my kids go out trick or treating alone. No treats are eating till we get them home and check them out. Have a flashlight with you to. Have fun but be safe and careful
awesome tips! i am very cautious at Halloween and only go to neighborhoods where we know people. I see parents letting their kids run across the street or drivers driving to fast..and i think of what could happen and i hold my daughters hand a little tighter lol
great tips- thhanks for the reminders! halloween is so much fun but we want everyone to be safe!
There just cannot be enough common sense instruction while keeping our children safe on Halloween and throughout each year. Thank you for important and pertinent point!
Thanks for informing us of Halloween safety it is something we often forget when preparing for Halloween.
These are great tips and it’s good to be reminded of them.
Aww!! I love the picture of the kittens in the pumpkin!! Incidentally, did you know that adding pumpkin to your cat’s food is very healthy for them? Great safety tips, a good reminder for parents! Not a bad idea for parents and teachers to print this out and talk to their kids about safety prior to Halloween.
Great tips and ones I use as well. Thanks for the info! My grandson has some of those light up wrist bands or necklaces he wears also
A lot of this is common sense, sadly, people have to be reminded.